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Introduction
The study of public policy is firmly grounded in the study of politics, which is as ancient as human civilization itself. Most of the ancient philosophers looked at politics in general, theoretical ways.
Platos Republic The search for justice. One of Platos objectives in the Republic was to show that justice is worthwhilethat just action is a good in itself, and that one ought to engage in just activity even when it doesnt seem to confer immediate advantage. Aristotles Politics - Since we see that every city-state is a sort of community and that every community is established for the sake of some good (for everyone does everything for the sake of what they believe to be good), it is clear that every community aims at some good, and the community which has the most authority of all and includes all the others aims highest, that is, at the good with the most authority. This is what is called the city-state or political community. [I.1.1252a1-7]
Introduction
Modern political theory.
Niccolo Machiavelli.
If we understand and plan the political actions we take in pursuit of our goals, we are better prepared to seize the political opportunities that arise in the normal course of political life.
Introduction
The systematic study of public policy is a 20th century phenomenon.
Dates to 1922, when political scientist Charles Merriam sought to connect the theory and practice of politics to understanding the actual activities of government, that is, public policy. Nevertheless, most of the literature on public policy dates back only about 50 years.
Introduction
The study of politics is the attempt to explain the various ways in which power is exercised in the everyday world and how that power is used to allocate resources and benefits to some people and groups, and costs and burdens to other people and groups.
Introduction
The study of public policy is the examination of the creation, by the government, of the rules, laws, goals, and standards that determine what government does or does not do to create resources, benefits, costs, and burdens. In studying public policy, we focus on those decisions made (or implicitly accepted) by government and nongovernmental actors to address a problem that a significant number of people and groups consider to be important and in need of a solution.
Introduction
A major element of studying and teaching public policy is the reliance of policy studies on a broad range of the social sciences.
Introduction
Table 1.1. Selected Disciplines That Study Public Policy
Discipline Political Science Description
The study of political relationships; that is, the study of the processes by which societies seek to allocate political power and the benefits of such power, Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. The study of the allocation of resources in a community, however defined. Economists study markets and exchanges. Welfare economists seek to understand the extent to which an overall communitys welfare can be maximized.
Sociology
Community and group activities are an important part of policy making, because groups of people often form to make demands.
Economics
There are many economic factors that influence public policy, such as economic growth, productivity, employment, and the like. The tools of economics are often used to promote policies or to explain why policies succeed or fail.
American Economic Review, Econometrica, Journal of Applied Economics, Journal of Political Economy.
Introduction
Table 1.1. Selected Disciplines That Study Public Policy
Discipline Public Administration Description
The study of the management of government and nonprofit organizations, including the management of information, money, and personnel to achieve goals developed through the democratic process. The study of what governments choose to do or not to do, including studies of the policy process, policy implementation and impact, and evaluation.
Public Policy
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Public Policy, Policy Studies Review, Policy Studies Journal, Journal of Policy History
Introduction
Because the field of public policy studies is so new, it has yet to coalesce around a shared set of principles, theories, and priorities (paradigm). For public policy to be useful, we must bridge the gap between what academics know and how practitioners and citizens use what we know to make better policy (or better policy arguments).
One dollar increase in food stamp benefits increases food expenditures between 17 and 47 cents, whereas a dollar increase in income only increases food expenditures 5 to 10 cents. Information is:
Peer-reviewed Aggregate information rather than disconnected cases. Runs counter to common wisdom.
Author
Clarke E. Cochran, et al.
Thomas Dye
B. Guy Peters.